


Operation: Matchmaker

by FreckledSkittles



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bad Matchmaking, But also, Friendship, Getting Together, Matchmaking, Multi, Texting, everyone is happy and nothing is wrong ever okay, i promise this is not the first texting fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:13:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29962110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreckledSkittles/pseuds/FreckledSkittles
Summary: "He’s my dad. She’s my ex-boss. I haven’t thought of them as a couple like this before."
Relationships: Nick Amaro/Mike Dodds, Olivia Benson/William Dodds, Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr., Rita Calhoun/Amanda Rollins
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	Operation: Matchmaker

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there this is my 99th fic!!!! I know I said it was gonna be the SVZoo fic but I got caught up in it and lost the plot a bit so that's for after the 100th fic  
> Which is??? A Greek mythology au: Sonny is the sun, Rafael is the moon, and they're in love <3
> 
> I had a poll on Twitter (@freckledskittle if you wanna check out my chaos) asking what should be the 99th fic though and the sequel to the texting fic won!! I wasn't too surprised, since the second I posted the first texting fic, literally every comment was "Doddson sequel??? Doddson?? Sequel?? DODDSON SEQUEL!!!!!" and honestly? Icon behavior, all of you  
> (also I tweeted something really sad about Barisi and ppl got upset with me so here's my apology video)

**Mike** : Who wants coffee! I’m coming over 🏃🏻♂️

**Fin** : Americano.

**Mike** : No half and half?

**Fin** : We got some here, but thanks for asking.

**Mike** : 👍🏼

**Kat** : My usual please! But add two shots of espresso

**Mike** : You got another match?

**Kat** : No, just tired from training last night and need a boost 😴

**Mike** : I got you 💪

**Nick** : Irish whiskey.

**Mike** : Ha, ha. I’m sure your Italian side thought that was hilarious.

**Nick** : It did, actually.

**Mike** : So your usual macchiato?

**Nick** : Yes please.

**Mike** : 🥰❤️

**Amanda** : Can I have a mocha frappe with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle?

**Mike** : Of course! Rough night?

**Rita** : Billie will only teeth on her spoons, so the past couple of nights have been a little hectic.

**Amanda** : I want to feel something again.

**Mike** : Moms of the year  
Is Sonny not around?

**Fin** : He’s still talking to your dad and Liv.

**Mike** : Yikes. I didn’t think they’d take this long

**Kat** : His transfer may be harder to figure out, since he’s going from detective to ADA

**Rita** : He’s really serious about that. I thought he would have caved by now. Being a prosecutor isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And with Rafael gone, he REALLY doesn’t have anything to look forward to.

**Rafael** : He’s doing it because he’s passionate about it. It’s not for me, and I never made him do it.

**Rita** : Do you two have a sixth sense or something? Because honestly, every time I try to smack talk one of you, there’s the other one, swinging by to defend your honor.

**Mike** : Hey Rafael. You around for a coffee delivery?

**Rafael** : As much as I would love to mooch off of your generosity, I’m still stuck working on a thesis.

**Nick** : Who knew that years of experience as a prosecutor between two New York boroughs wouldn’t be enough to teach law at the university level?

**Rafael** : My complaints exactly.  
Which reminds me, I need to ask you something when we both have a moment.

**Rita** : Someone in trouble? 🤭

**Amanda** : 🤭

**Kat** : 🤭

**Mike** : 🤭

**Nick** : I can text you once I’m off-duty.

**Munch** : Only six months and the infidelity begins. Fin owes me thirty bucks.

**Amanda** : As if any of them would ever cheat. Sonny and Mike don’t have it in them, and Rafael and Nick are too lovesick to even think about it.

**Munch** : Damn. You got me there.

**Rafael** : I’ll pretend that’s a compliment for now. If I had more time, I’d have a defamatory case on your desk by lunch.

**Amanda** : Try me. I’m not scared of you.

**Rita** : Holy shit you’re so fucking hot right now Amanda have mercy on me please

* * *

_Rafael and Nick_

**Nick** : Hey. You wanted to ask me something? I figured it was something you wanted to ask me and not seven others.

**Rafael** : You read my mind. Although I can trust Kat and Fin to behave, the others are questionable at best. No offense to Sonny or Mike. Or Liv, for that matter, but this is about her.

**Nick** : Oh.  
Can I read your mind again and guess that it also has to do with Mike’s dad?

**Rafael** : Now this is just freaky.  
But yes, it is. I’d say they’ve gotten closer over the last year, don’t you think?

**Nick** : If by closer, you mean closer to dating. Will is obviously elbow deep in it. He’s infatuated with Liv, and I thought Mike was the definition of puppy love.

**Rafael** : That’s a feat all on its own.  
Also, Will?

**Nick** : Listen, William Dodds and Chief Dodds are two different people, but you didn’t hear it from me.

**Nick** : Also, if you’re gonna ask if he’s as big of a dork as Mike, the answer is yes. It’s genetic.

**Rafael** : Can I at least have some fun thinking about William Dodds as a future father-in-law? Where’s the fun in it if you’re just giving me the answers?

**Nick** : Didn’t you have a question to ask?

**Rafael** : It’s less of a question and more of an invitation. I’ve talked to two other mutual friends and they also see that Liv and Chief Dodds are a nice pair. One of them had the idea of arranging something for them.

**Nick** : Okay…?  
Arranging what, and who are the two mutual friends?

* * *

_Rita Calhoun has added Nick Amaro and two others to a group chat. Say hello!_

_Rita Calhoun has renamed the group chat to “Liv’s Ex-Flings + Rafael.”_

**Rita** : Welcome, you three. I have summoned you here for a very important duty.

**Amanda** : What the fuck is this

**Rafael** : Just hear her out.

_Nick Amaro has left the chat._

_Rita Calhoun has added Nick Amaro to the group chat “Liv’s Ex-Flings + Rafael.” Say hello!_

**Amanda** : Hi

**Rita** : 😘  
So let’s start with the obvious. We’ve all had sex with our favorite brunette Olivia Benson at some point or another. Which, by the way, good for us, team. We have excellent taste.

**Amanda** : Wait what

**Nick** : Not to be That Guy, but I thought Rafael was gay?

**Rafael** : I am. But platonically I’m just as close to her as you three, so I’m an honorary member.

**Rita** : That and Rafael was the one who brought this up with me since he knows I had a thing with her 

**Amanda** : Wait okay so  
All three of us had sex with Liv?

**Nick** : That’s news to me.

**Rafael** : Olivia Benson is one of the most sentimental people I know and according to two men who will remain anonymous, she looked at all three of you the same way she looked at Alex. She’s happy to have you in her life in some way, even if it didn’t work out the way you expected, and even if it was at a limited capacity.

**Amanda** : ALRIGHT WELL IM A LITTLE BUSY LOOKING AT MY GIRLFRIEND TO NOTICE THAT BUD  
Sorry, I’m not trying to be rude, I’m just trying to make this make sense in my heads

**Nick** : Amanda, we’ve been working here for the same amount of time, how the fuck did we never figure this out

**Amanda** : idk ask Rafael apparently he knows it all  
Also Rita I’m lowkey upset that we both slept with Liv and have never talked about it until now what the fuck

**Rita** : I could have sworn we had. I might have dreamt it.  
It was only a couple times though and it was only really for sex. We were both too busy for anything else.

**Nick** : Same.

**Amanda** : I’m seeing a trend here. Did you guys propose dating to her?

**Nick** : I wanna say we tried to bring it up, but it never really went anywhere. I definitely thought about it though.

**Rita** : I wasn’t interested in anything long-term at the time, so no.

**Amanda** : Okay, because I definitely remember bringing it up to her, and we skirted around it for like two weeks before we decided it wasn’t gonna work

**Rita** : 🤔  
Interesting.  
Can anyone remember the last time she was with someone? Like actually dating? For more than a couple months?

**Amanda** : I can only think of Tucker

**Rafael** : Ditto. I don’t think any other relationship was that serious either. I thought they would at least propose.

**Nick** : I feel like everyone did.

**Rita** : Which brings me to my next point: Rafael and I were talking about how since she and Tucker split, Liv hasn’t made time for herself outside of work. Obviously, she has time for Noah, and our group, but that’s about it.

**Rafael** : Until six months ago, when Chief William Dodds gave that speech at her party.

**Amanda** : Ohhhhh  
I think I get it now

**Nick** : I think so too and I hate it. 

**Rita** : So what do we do about it, team?

* * *

_The Cornucopia_

**Rita** : 🗣 You are all cordially invited to Amanda’s apartment for a special dinner! Next Saturday at 4! Bring something to eat to get in the door!

**Sonny** : I am cooking a five-course meal

**Rafael** : Even our kitchen isn’t big enough for that.

**Sonny** : ☹️

**Kat** : 👀

**Amanda** : One dish per person, and it has to be for everyone  
Also Nick, if you don’t make your spicy salsa dip, you’re not getting in 🔪

**Nick** : Fucking relax. I’m pulling out the recipe now.

**Munch** : Do drinks count?

**Rita** : Yes please!

**Munch** : Great. Fin and I went out on Long Island recently and found a wine that everyone will like.

**Rafael** : Can someone please say what they’re bringing so that Sonny can decide what to fucking make?

**Olivia** : I’ll handle dessert. 🙂

**Kat** : I can bring apps to go with Nick’s salsa!

**Nick** : Any cracker or chip will do. If you want the full flavor profile, I recommend something soft like pita.

**Kat** : I was thinking of pita! I’ll get some tortilla chips too for variety

**Rita** : Liv, get the cannoli from Brooklyn! I’ve been craving them like crazy recently 

**Rafael** : Don’t you have to bring something too? You don’t live together yet.

**Rita** : I made arrangements to bring something that’s just for Amanda to eat.

**Rafael** : What?  
Never mind, I get it.

* * *

**Mike** : Hi, I’m super late to the conversation, but I can bring sides for whatever Sonny’s making!

**Fin** : I was thinking the same thing. We can coordinate.

**Mike** : 👍🏼

**Rita** : Better thirty-six hours late than not at all.

**Mike** : I’m sorry, I got swept up in a case and my dad was breathing down my neck about it. As if catching a murderer without evidence is easy. I just got home.

**Nick** : I can vouch for that. His Sergeant texted me to say he was staying at the precinct. I brought him breakfast the next day.

**Mike** : It was delicious, thank you ❤️

**Nick** : I’ll be home in a few. Just filing some cases from the last quarter and I’ll be on my way

**Mike** : Can’t wait! ☺️

**Rita** : How sweet. I don’t even feel sick.  
Btw, Mike, your dad is invited to dinner next week. As long as he doesn’t talk about work, he’s welcome to join us.

**Mike** : Oh, okay.  
I thought it was just a group thing with us but I think he’ll be interested

[ _Olivia’s Ex-Flings + Rafael_

**_Amanda_ ** _: What the fuck Nick you said you were gonna tell him about the plan_

**_Nick_ ** _: Did you miss the part of the conversation where he said he was holed up at the precinct for the past two days??? I never got the chance._ ]

**Mike** : Is that okay with you Amanda?

**Amanda** : Sure, he can come. As long as he doesn’t mind baby mess and dog hair

**Mike** : Alright cool

[ _Nick and Mike_

**_Nick_ ** _: So I may have forgotten to tell you something._

**_Mike_ ** _: What do you mean? About the dinner next week?_ ]

**Fin** : Does the Chief even like get-togethers like this? No offense to your dad, Mike.

**Rafael** : Ethically, it’s a strange gray area, but so is him spending more time at SVU than any other precinct.

**Fin** : True. I wonder if that’s why he’s leaving.  
Again, Mike, no offense.

**Mike** : None taken. I’m just confused

* * *

_Nick Amaro has added Rafael Barba and 7 others to a group chat. Say hello!_

_Nick Amaro has named the group chat “NO ONE SAY A FUCKING WORD.”_

**Nick** : I am asking for consent to bring up a past relationship with someone we all know.

**Amanda** : Yes?

**Rita** : What in the actual fuck is this

**Nick** : Can I talk about it?

**Rita** : Knock yourself out. Literally.

**Nick** : At some point or another, me, Rita and Amanda had separate relationships with a person who will remain nameless for the sake of their privacy but is someone we know and work with and is not in this group chat.

**Mike** : Sonny????

**Kat** : ???

**Nick** : Jesus Christ.  
She created the group chat we’re all in.

**Mike** : Ohhh.  
OHHHHH.

**Fin** : You guys slept with Liv???

**Nick** : Rafael, being one of Liv’s closest friends, brought up to us that she interacts with someone else we know who is also going to remain nameless but who also works with us and shares a last name with one of us.

**Munch** : The only thing vaguer than this is the Warren Commission.

**Nick** : So the four of us hatched a plan to get them together, in the same room, in a casual setting, so they can connect and be happy because they deserve it. And I know not all of us can speak on the happiness of the second person (I can and will), but we all know Liv deserves someone good in her life.

**Fin** : John, didn’t you say that Liv was running a matchmaking service?

**Munch** : I didn’t realize how ignorant I was to the accuracy of that statement.

**Nick** : DO NOT SAY ANYTHING TO LIV. She and the other person are a good match, and we want to see if they can hit it off where they don’t have to talk about work and can just relax and enjoy each other’s company. They’ve done well with what they have so far, so maybe they can make something work

**Kat** : Well, I get why Sonny isn’t here. But I won’t say anything. You have my word

**Rafael** : I love that man, but he cannot keep a secret for even a week.  
I’ll tell him next Saturday so that he doesn’t feel left out. He knows he can’t keep a secret but he still wants to be included.

**Mike** : Well, that’s reassuring. Never mind the fact that you guys are trying to matchmake coworkers who just so happen to be my dad and our boss.

**Amanda** : To be fair, your dad and Liv go really well together.

**Rita** : They’re two hot people. Of course they are.

**Rafael** : Thank you, resident lesbian.

* * *

**Nick** : I’m two stops away. You want anything before I get off?

**Mike** : No, I’m good

**Nick** : Okay  
Are you upset with me?

**Mike** : No. I get it. They are cute and I know my dad LIKES her. It’s just weird I guess.  
He’s my dad. She’s my ex-boss. I haven’t thought of them as a couple like this before.

**Nick** : I get it. It’s uncomfortable to think about

**Mike** : Yeah

**Nick** : I’m sorry

**Nick** : Mike?

**Mike** : I’m here. I just don’t know what to say without sounding rude

**Nick** : You can take your time. I won’t get mad

**Mike** : I don’t know what you feel sorry for. For not telling me sooner? I wasn’t home for the past two days. For suggesting my dad and Liv should date? He’s said if they weren’t coworkers, he would consider asking her out.

**Nick** : I’m sorry for not talking about this with you first. He’s your dad. Of course it’s gonna be weird to talk about matchmaking him

**Mike** : You shouldn’t feel sorry when I’m the one making it weird.

**Nick** : Don’t blame yourself. You’re not at fault here

**Mike** : Neither are you.

**Nick** : Well. We’re at a standstill. What should we do about it?

**Mike** : Can we cuddle and just be around each other? No distractions?

**Nick** : Always. ❤️

* * *

_One week later_

_The Cornucopia_

**Sonny** : I’ve done it. I’ve made the perfect dish.  
Also I know about the matchmaking thing and I’m ready to not say anything about it until they’re out the door

**Rita** : Thank you, resident golden retriever.

**Fin** : We’re on our way. Daisy almost convinced us to stay by drooling on our shoes.

**Mike** : Very convincing  
Also, Sonny, you say that every dish is “the perfect dish” so how is this gonna be any special

**Rita** : 🤭

**Munch** : 🤭

**Kat** : 🤭

**Amanda** : 🤭

**Mike** : 🤭

**Sonny** : Just you wait, bestie! Even Rafael was speechless

**Rita** : To be fair, Rafael is speechless about anything you do. Walk into a room? Speechless. Hard at work, both figuratively and literally? Speechless. Do that dumb smile thing you do? Speechless.

**Rafael** : Quit the slander or I may just get lost on my way over and never arrive.

**Sonny** : Dumb smile thing?

**Fin** : That’s the part you focus on?

**Olivia** : Noah and I are walking up now. 🙂 He has some toys for Billie.

**Amanda** : Aww, Liv! Thank you ❤️

**Rita** : Billie doesn’t need more toys.

**Amanda** : Yes she does. Jesse gets jealous when she has her old toys.

**Rafael** : Trouble in paradise?

**Rita** : I will block both of you from coming in here.

**Sonny** : But my food ☹️

**Rita** : We’ll take it and leave you out in the hall.

**Kat** : I may be a few minutes late. I’ve been searching for these shoes for an hour and I can’t find them

**Amanda** : No problem! If you don’t find them, you can always put on the next best thing

**Kat** : Thanks for that! I literally saw them yesterday but now they’re nowhere to be seen 🤷🏽♀️

**Mike** : So Nick and I are almost there, and so is my dad.

**Amanda** : Great! Can’t wait to meet William Dodds

**Mike** : ☺️

**Rita** : Does he know the entry rule? Because I don’t care who he says he is, today he is William Dodds, and if he doesn’t have something for us, he doesn’t get in.

**Mike** : Yes, he brought dessert

**Amanda** : Funny, so did Liv!

**Rita** : Strange, how these things work.

* * *

If someone had told William Dodds on his first day as Deputy Chief that the SVU squad would end up inviting him to a self-proclaimed family dinner a few years later, he would have dismissed them and thought nothing of it ever again. Work is work, and it stays there. It shouldn’t get involved with personal matters. Apparently, SVU’s elite detectives never got the memo and Mike assures him six times the week leading up to the Saturday dinner that yes, he’s invited, and yes, he can bring whatever he thinks everyone else will enjoy.

So far, the dinner party is a success, at least as far as William is concerned. He’s not only talked to every person in the room, but he’s also been the center of everyone’s attention. And as much as he thought he knew everyone, there was no preparing for knowing them outside of work.

The second he had walked in, Rita Calhoun was inspecting what he had brought—a mix of drinks to make cocktails, in case anyone was interested in one, and an antipasto platter. Of the other times he’s gotten it for something like this, it’s been a success. Once his offering is approved, Rita ushers him in with a smile and introduces herself. He’s the last to arrive, by the looks of it, but it doesn’t gather everyone’s attention. (Even though, technically, Mike looks over, and Olivia Benson does a double-take before she turns back to Noah and Rafael with a faint smile.) William had gone into the room with the expectation of a swarming crowd wanting to see what Deputy Chief Dodds looked like outside of work. But it never happens. He is greeted, reintroduced to anyone he hasn’t met through work, and they continue throughout dinner.

Even though the hosts are Rollins and Rita, Carisi is the one who doles out full plates and spends his time serving everyone before he finally grabs a plate for himself. He gravitates to Barba’s side almost immediately and scoots his chair closer. John Munch, Fin’s husband, presents four different conversations on different conspiracies—one of which William had been subject to at Olivia’s promotion celebration—but all of them are shut down by Rollins. Tamin, although the newest detective at SVU, has clearly made a home among the group, best seen through her storytelling and the laughs it earns from the table. If that represents how much she’s grown accustomed to the team, perhaps his replacement can find some solace among them.

At one point, William looks over at Mike and accidentally catches a moment he shares with Amaro—Nick, William corrects himself, he’s trying to get used to his first name since he’s dating his son. Nick had leaned over to whisper something in Mike’s ear, and Mike responds with a broad grin and shares something back, laughing throughout and nudging Nick when he finishes. Mike deserves the best, and William’s glad he found someone to love with Nick.

William offers to clean the dishes once dinner is done and assures Rollins multiple times that he doesn’t mind. There aren’t a lot, mostly consisting of dishes used to hold the food, but she persists continuously until Olivia cuts in, quietly resting a hand on her shoulder and stepping past her to get to the sink. And with the way Olivia looks at him, William knows he’s about to have a conversation just for them.

“I wash, you dry?” He offers, rolling up his sleeves to get started on the dirty dishes.

“Sure,” Olivia says and sets up the dish rack. For a few rounds, they go back and forth in silence, and then Olivia breaks the silence between them. “I think the others were planning something.”

William steals a brief glance at her. “What do you mean?”

“Well, aside from the fact that the other room got very quiet when we came in here,” Olivia chuckles, and William finally looks up to catch her smiling shyly to herself, head bowed and a few strands of hair falling over her shoulders, “I read an interesting conversation in our group chat.”

William just hums, rearranging a few bowls to reach a large dish. What went on in their group chat shouldn’t involve him. They deserved a sense of community that didn’t include the Deputy Chief.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” she says, “but I can’t remember a time where anyone would consider inviting you to our dinner parties.”

“I never expected to be invited,” he admits with a shrug. “And as much as I enjoyed tonight, I think it’s best that these remain separate from me.”

Olivia’s eyes light up at that. William notices she has a touch of color on her face, particularly on and aligning her eyes. For a second, he loses himself in the vivid shade until her voice reels him back. “I think the only reason why you were invited was for my sake.”

If William’s interest hadn’t peaked already, it would skyrocket now, clutching onto every word she utters, every syllable she pronounces. There was only so much he could do when he considered dating someone who was technically a subordinate, let alone someone who as far as he could tell was not interested in dating. If something changed, whether it was his currently in-limbo career or a curiosity to explore something with him, William is happy to embrace it and see where it goes.

“Well,” he clears his throat, “I guess there’s only one way to figure that out.”

Olivia hums and offers her hand. He takes it in his, entwining their fingers briefly, and she squeezes before pulling away. William’s chest is lit up with giddy happiness. Olivia Benson is an extraordinary woman and he hopes he can learn all the other ways she can prove that.


End file.
